Abstract:
Madison’s Platypus Technologies, LLC, will soon be moving into a new home come June 2005.

Platypus Technologies Sniffs Out New Home In Fitchburg Technology Campus

Fitchburg , Wis., Oct. 12, 2004

Madison’s Platypus Technologies, LLC, will soon be moving into a new home come June 2005. This biotech company which specializes in the application of nanotechnology to the life sciences, will occupy 8,000 square feet in the New Venture Center located on the Fitchburg Technology Campus.

The New Venture Center is a partnership between Fitchburg Technology Campus and Ruedebusch Development and Construction. Ruedebusch Development and Construction, also the contractor for the project, has experience with other technology building projects including those for Alfalight, TEC Center, and Gala Design. In addition to Platypus Technologies, BIOPONS, a services and support company designed to facilitate the development and operations of new and expanding biotechnology companies, and the Kegonsa Seed Fund, an early-stage and seed fund operated by Mr. Ken Johnson, will occupy space in the New Venture Center. The two-story, 46,000 square foot building still has additional space available.

“We’re very happy to join the growing number of technology companies in Fitchburg,” said Barbara Israel, PhD, co-founder and CEO of Platypus Technologies. “We think Fitchburg Technology Campus will meet our needs as a growing biotech company.”

The three founders, Israel, Nicholas Abbott, PhD (President & Chief Scientific Officer), and Christopher J. Murphy, DVM, PhD (Vice-President and Chairman of the Board), formed Platypus Technologies in 2000 to commercialize inventions from Abbott’s research lab. Since then, Platypus Technologies has received $7.2 million in Federal funds from such agencies as National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, United States Department of Agriculture and the US Army.

Over the past four years, Platypus Technologies has created 20 well-paying jobs. Their staff consists of chemists, biochemists, physicists, chemical engineers, materials science engineers and molecular biologists. Platypus Technologies’ research will be used to develop new diagnostics and a new generation of sensors, aid in cancer research, and accelerate drug development, thus lowering costs to bring new drugs to market.

“Platypus Technologies is a growing company with internationally recognized science,” said Chris Armstrong, project manager for the Campus. “We could not be more excited to welcome them to the New Venture Center and Fitchburg Technology Campus.”

About Fitchburg Technology Campus

Fitchburg Technology Campus is the first of its kind in the Midwest. Located just minutes south of Madison, Wisconsin, the campus will house dozens of high-tech businesses, a thriving retail center, parks, recreational areas and rich residential offerings when complete. With its close proximity to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, it will also serve as a hotbed for biotechnological start-up firms. For more information about Fitchburg Technology Campus, contact contact Chris Armstrong at carmstrong@fitchburgtech.com or (608) 294-4086, or Karyl Lynn Bruckner at klbruckner@fitchburgtech.com or (608) 294-4085.

Founder Biographies

Barbara A. Israel, PhD, Founder, CEO PhD/Medical Microbiology, University of Vermont. Dr. Israel is a virologist with 26 years experience in viral diagnostic and research techniques. Her expertise is in arbovirology, viral glycoprotein structure and function, viral evolution and emerging virus diseases. Dr. Israel has many contacts within USDA, CDC and NWHC that are helpful in product development, testing and marketing.

Nicholas Abbott, PhD, Founder, President & Chief Scientific Officer PhD/Chemical Engineering, MIT; Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin Madison. Dr. Abbott is an expert in materials science, liquid crystal technology and micro-fluidics. Dr. Abbott has 16 years of experience in chemical engineering with an emphasis in liquid crystal technology and nano-scale materials science, a significant publication record and is an internationally recognized authority in his field. He is the inventor of Platypus™ technology.

Christopher J. Murphy, DVM, PhD, Founder, Vice-President & Chairman of the Board PhD/Anatomy, Cornell University; DVM/Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University; Surgical Sciences Professor, School of Veterinary Medicine, UW-Madison; affiliate faculty in the Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, UW-Madison. Dr. Murphy is an expert in nanostructured surfaces as interfaces to biological systems and on the interaction of liquid crystals with cells. He has 19 years experience in the field of cell biology. Dr. Murphy provides consulting services to the bio-pharmaceutical industry.